After resolving her inner turmoil, the remaining days of the trip became pure relaxation and fun for Mu Anqi.
But when she started making plans, she realized she wanted to go everywhere! She wanted to enjoy morning tea in Guangdong, taste hotpot and skewers in Sichuan and Chongqing, watch the flag-raising ceremony in Beijing, and go boating on East Lake… The world was so vast, and she hadn't even explored all of her own country. She had never climbed snow-capped mountains, never seen the desert, and while she had swum in the sea before… those were only childhood memories.
The distances between these places were enormous, and whether by car or plane, it would take considerable time. As for buying a private jet or helicopter… Mu Anqi had considered it, but after looking into it, she realized that if she actually went through with it, the approval process alone would likely take longer than her entire break.
For the sake of convenience, and because Mu Anqi wanted to see the snow-covered views of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, she once again used the Time Selection ability to travel through time. She arrived on a Tuesday during her twentieth year, which the Nirvana Space had determined was a heavy snow day.
She bought two mobile phones, registered SIM cards, completed real-name verification, made online reservations and purchased various tickets… Then, she booked the earliest available flight straight to Beijing.
Mu Anqi had initially thought Ji Huaichu wouldn't know how to use a phone and would be unfamiliar with these modern conveniences. She even expected her to be amazed by the airplane. But contrary to her expectations… Ji Huaichu acted with remarkable ease and showed no surprise at the aircraft. After all, the Shattered Mirror Continent had all sorts of things too. Mu Anqi suddenly remembered the takeout services in the Mingdu. She looked at Ji Huaichu and asked curiously, "Why doesn't Taiyin have takeout?"
"We do," Ji Huaichu said. "It's just not available in my district. If you'd like, we can organize it after we return."
Most of the spirits within the main city of General Ji's mansion were "soldiers" or "officers" who went to various locations to clear Black Mirror Vortexes, earning Guansi while strengthening themselves. In the past, Ji Huaichu would lead teams to forcefully eradicate Black Mirror Vortexes herself, but she no longer had the spare time for that. Weaker spirits, or those who no longer wished to fight, were reassigned by Ji Huaichu to assist Xia Fenghua. Now that the game was also up and running, the main city was extremely busy, requiring spirits to handle all sorts of tasks.
Ji Huaichu pondered for a moment. Her district still had plenty of vacant space, as she hadn't established a large commercial street. After returning this time, she could consider expanding slightly, building a few more houses for rent, and then recruiting more inexpensive spirits to provide labor.
The snow-covered world was beautiful, everything draped in a coat of white. Mu Anqi held Ji Huaichu's hand and took photos at the entrance of the Forbidden City, then excitedly went inside to explore. After a simple meal near the scenic area, they set off to climb the Great Wall.
…
"General… did the world you lived in before have structures like the Great Wall? Beacon towers and such?"
"It did," Ji Huaichu replied after a moment's thought. "But in my world, they weren't built as well as this."
She stood on the Great Wall, looking down at the scenery spread out below her. The majestic, expansive feeling of surveying the mountains and rivers from this height stirred something within her, inexplicably reminding her of the times she had stood on the military review platform, overlooking her troops. Ji Huaichu fell silent for a while before continuing, "Common people wouldn't have been allowed to come up for sightseeing. Nor could they have enjoyed such carefree leisure."
Back when she had become a general, it seemed she hadn't had much time to enjoy any privileges before incurring the emperor's suspicion. Or perhaps, she had never truly allowed herself to relax. It wasn't until after her death, when she became a vengeful spirit and slaughtered her way through the imperial palace, that it felt as if she had finally released a lifetime of pent-up gloom and oppression. From then on, no shackles could ever bind her again.
Though it wasn't the same world, not the same era, standing here, Ji Huaichu found herself inexplicably thinking of the past—of past events and scenes. She watched the excited tourists taking photos around her, then glanced at the children running around with boundless energy, playing and laughing—the adults beside them looked terribly nervous, afraid the children might fall. Ji Huaichu felt she ought to have some profound reflection, but in the end, she couldn't quite pinpoint what that feeling was.
Mu Anqi clearly hadn't noticed Ji Huaichu's shift in mood. She charged enthusiastically up the steps, feeling only that she was making up for past regrets. Back when she wrote essays, she'd describe majestic mountains, flowing rivers, and magnificent landscapes with flowery, grandiose language, without having ever truly seen them herself. She simply wrote that way because everyone else did. Now, having actually come to these places and seen these mountains and rivers, she felt that even the most splendid and majestic words couldn't fully express the emotions she felt in the moment.
"Look! This is the magnificent land I've conquered for you!" Remembering this meme, Mu Anqi tugged on Ji Huaichu's sleeve and swept her arm grandly, encompassing the entire view. At that moment, the feeling of pride and triumph became even more pronounced.
Ji Huaichu smiled, took Mu Anqi's hand, and kissed the back of it. "Then, thank you."
Now it was Mu Anqi's turn to feel embarrassed. She pulled her hand back, couldn't help but touch the spot kissed, glanced at Ji Huaichu a couple of times, then reached out, wrapped her arms around Ji Huaichu's neck, and quickly planted a kiss on her cheek—it was cool.
After climbing a while longer, all those complex emotions faded away. Dragged along by Ji Huaichu, Mu Anqi felt she truly couldn't walk another step and began to whine, "I really can't go on, my legs don't belong to me anymore… Ah, General…"
Pulled along step by step, Mu Anqi called out "General" in a low voice, once, twice, three times, until even nearby tourists couldn't help but look over. Ji Huaichu was tall and slender, and when her face was expressionless, she truly carried the imposing dignity of a valiant female general.
Ji Huaichu sighed, pulled Mu Anqi into her arms, then bent down and scooped her up in a firm hold. But being carried like this only made Mu Anqi feel embarrassed again: "General, am I heavy?"
"Very light. You should eat more," Ji Huaichu replied.
As they descended, it began to snow. Mu Anqi didn't have an umbrella, but she didn't mind. Despite the heavy snow, she still dragged Ji Huaichu to buy ice cream bars to munch on. Snowflakes landed on the ice cream, on their shoulders, on their heads, falling heavier and heavier. By the time they reached their hotel, they were covered in wind and snow, their hair white as if they'd aged together.
"Next break, can we go camping and have a picnic in the Eternal Night Forest?" Mu Anqi said suddenly after her shower, gazing at the moon outside the window. She looked at Ji Huaichu, "I'm craving barbecue. And the nights in the Eternal Night Forest are very beautiful too."
"Of course." It wasn't some forbidden area, after all. Ji Huaichu agreed. "The Shattered Mirror Continent has snow-capped mountains too. If you want, we can go mountain climbing and camping there."
Mu Anqi was indeed interested. She leaned back, and Ji Huaichu, behind her, caught her, letting her lean against her body. "Why didn't you mention these things before, General?"
"You trained every day. Where would you find the time for fun?" Ji Huaichu said. "You never asked, so I naturally didn't bring it up."
Besides, those scenic spots in the Shattered Mirror Continent were all enclosed within the game zones. It wasn't a matter of just going whenever one pleased; they had to book a time slot.
"…" Mentioning training left Mu Anqi with nothing to say. She was very strong now; ordinary game and Black Mirror Vortex spirits were no match for her. Under Ji Huaichu's training, her blade skills had also improved significantly. While she hadn't reached the level where she could defeat General Ji outright, she could hold her own against Xia Fenghua. If she were to fight Xia Yun… Mu Anqi thought that if she could use her skills, she would definitely win. If she couldn't… maybe a 40-60 split? She'd be the 40, Xia Yun the 60, since Xia Yun had a natural talent for the sword, a first-rate aptitude in the way of the blade.
Not wanting to dwell on these discouraging thoughts, Mu Anqi started planning their next itinerary. They would watch the flag-raising ceremony early tomorrow morning, then go eat some roast duck before flying out, transferring to Qinhuangdao for some fun, then to Chongqing, then to Guangdong…
As she meticulously made her plans, Mu Anqi felt that she definitely wouldn't be returning to ordinary planes for tourism anytime soon. Once she saved up more points, she absolutely wanted to experience the various fantasy planes that existed in novels. As for coming back here… that would probably be a long, long time later, after she had experienced all the other planes, that she might return to see the sights, eat the local specialties, and perhaps reminisce a little?
While Mu Anqi was scribbling away fervently, Ji Huaichu was poking and tapping at her phone, who knows what she was looking at. Until suddenly, a strange, suggestive moan emanated from the phone. Mu Anqi turned her head, face full of shock, only to see Ji Huaichu looking back at her with a completely straight face.
"…What are you watching?"
"Studying," Ji Huaichu replied frankly.
Could it be… that adult ghosts also had… desires in that area? Ah, it seemed perfectly normal for spirits to have desires. Mu Anqi thought, her mind in a slight turmoil. She looked at Ji Huaichu, but General Ji showed not a hint of embarrassment. Instead, Mu Anqi found her own cheeks burning under Ji Huaichu's direct gaze.
Mu Anqi told herself, why should she be the one feeling awkward and shy?! She steadied herself and asked, "How's the studying going?"
"Just started," Ji Huaichu answered, her fingertip tapping the screen again, though this time she turned the sound off. "But I learn everything very quickly."
"You can rest assured."
Mu Anqi: "…"
After a moment's thought, Mu Anqi put down the half-finished plan. There was no need to map out the entire itinerary for the days ahead tonight, after all. The world was so big, and she hadn't even decided where else she wanted to go or what she wanted to eat. Mu Anqi nimbly climbed onto the bed and scooted over to Ji Huaichu's side. "Let me see too. We have to learn together. You can't leave me behind." How could she let Ji Huaichu secretly learn on her own? They had a long future ahead of them.
A hint of a smile flickered in Ji Huaichu's eyes. She wasn't the least bit embarrassed and even asked in a low voice, "Then, should I turn the sound on?"
"…Sure? Keep it low." Mu Anqi whispered. She burrowed into Ji Huaichu's embrace, leaning against her, and joined in observing and studying.
…
"Can we kiss?"
"…It's not like we haven't kissed before." Mu Anqi's tone held a note of helplessness. When Ji Huaichu deliberately used this soft tone to ask, it felt like she was acting coy, making it impossible to refuse. She turned over, tilted her head up, and caught Ji Huaichu's lips with her own.
The phone was cast aside, its screen gradually dimming until it went black, the sounds from within ceasing.
Slender, distinct fingers slowly found another hand, intertwining until they laced tightly together. Outside the window, the heavy snow drifted down. Inside, the warm, orange lamplight glowed. Lover and lover embraced, breaths mingling, making the winter night feel warm and all too brief.